Strawberry Ice Cream Summer
by AsherRose
Summary: Short story, all human. Bella works in an ice cream stand, where she secretly crushes after a gorgeous emerald-eyed mystery man. Suddenly, Bella finds herself fighting for Edward, even if it means mixing it up with the most popular girl in school.


**Hey, guys! Just a little short story to blow off steam while I work on **_**Haunted Midnight**_**. It's winter in PA, where I live, and it's unbelievably cold. I think yesterday it was something like five degrees. While I was wishing for summer, I thought of this fic. **

She saw him everyday. He was on the varsity track team, and though it was summer, they continued to meet every afternoon to practice. She saw him because the ice cream stand she worked at was just uphill from the school's huge track. She awaited her shift anxiously everyday, so she could continue her observation of the emerald-eyed god.

It wasn't stalking, she managed to convince herself. She worked here. It was natural that she would want to watch something that gorgeous. He was easily the fastest sprinter on the team, and it was just as likely that she was watching him because of his speed, rather than ogling at his perfect physique.

After all, Bella Swan told herself. He _already_ has _several_ stalkers. And that was true. Nearly everyday, there was a gaggle of giggling, gossiping girls (what a lovely alliteration, she must remember to tell Alice), staring at him, and trying to strike up conversation during breaks. It was ridiculous, she didn't even know his name, but all the same, she couldn't help but feel a little smug, because he talked to _her_ everyday.

Admittedly, they were not, "Hey, would you like to catch a movie later?" Actually, it was always the same words, '_Thank you'_, and '_Goodbye'_. He ordered the same thing every time, too, a medium chocolate ice cream. She shouldn't be so attentive to him, she really shouldn't. But she was anyway. Maybe things would have gone on that way for the rest of the summer, if he hadn't missed practice on Friday.

She noticed, of course. There were thousands and thousands of people in Phoenix, Arizona, but she noticed immediately that her favorite customer was missing. She briefly considered asking one of his teammates if he was alright, but she knew that that would be just plain weird. They would think she was a stalker (and she just might be one, anyway). So Bella sighed, and continued on with work.

_He _noticed _her_ everyday, too. Bella had no idea, of course. Edward Cullen didn't know her name, either. She was just the pretty girl who worked in the ice cream stand, and he looked forward to their brief exchange everyday, more than he should, actually, seeing as he already had a girlfriend.

And it was, in fact, because of Tanya Denali that Edward and Bella had their first meaningful conversation. Edward felt dull and sad that evening. True, though he had been the one who actually did the "breaking up", it felt more like Tanya had been the one to dump him. It turned out the rumors his brother, Emmett's, girlfriend, Rosalie Hale, had told him were true. Tanya had been cheating on him, and screwing around with other guys.

His sister, Alice, had even felt sorry enough for him to not say, "I told you so," though he had seen it on her lips all day. "She's an absolutely _horrible _person. She's really mean to my friend Bella." She confided in him.

And he had realized that. Tanya did a good job of hiding it, but she was cruel and nasty, and selfish. So he had dumped her. He hadn't felt up to going to practice, but now he just wanted to be alone. He had driven to the track without really thinking about it, and now he ran as fast as he could, trying to vent his frustration.

It started to rain, and by the time he was finished, he was thoroughly soaked. He trekked slowly up the hill. The ice cream stand was probably closed, but he needed a treat. There was still a light on. He smiled as he saw the brunette girl wiping down the counters. "Closed?" He called, half-heartedly.

Bella gave him a wry smile, and gave a sigh of relief when her voice didn't crack. "Pretty much." She stuck a dollar three dollars into the cash register, then she turned to him and handed him a medium chocolate cone. She had a strawberry for herself. She walked out of the booth, and hopped up on the counter.

Edward stared at the girl as she matter-of-factly handed him the ice cream, and sat on the counter. He was shocked as she said confidently, "You always order the same thing."

"Oh, well, thanks," he said in surprise.

He reached for his wallet, but the girl said," Don't worry, it's my treat. You look like you could use it. You weren't at track practice. What's up?" She was shocked at her own boldness, but kept her face composed. _Oh, crap, I must sound like such a stalker._

Edward was flattered that she had noticed his absence. "Ah, girlfriend issues." Her stomach dropped. She shouldn't be surprised; such a gorgeous guy would of course have an equally beautiful girlfriend. Probably one of the multitudes of unnaturally blond girls that waited for him everyday. She hadn't wanted to get her hopes up, but for those few seconds everyday, when he smiled directly at her and said, "Thanks," it seemed that all bets were off.

But then he continued, "We broke up." Why was he telling her this? He felt inexplicably like she could understand.

Bella winced in sympathy. "Ouch. That sucks." Despite the fact she had a huge crush on him, anything that made him so sad was not good news.

"Yeah." He smiled, and straightened up. "Thanks for the ice cream. You won't get in trouble, will you?" The expression of concern was adorable on his beautiful face.

"Nah," she waved this away. He grinned and winked.

"Our little secret, right?"

He was so wonderful; it made her heart ache to be near him. "Right."

******************

The next day, he was back at track practice. Bella grinned as she saw him outpace his team without breaking a sweat. He also ordered another chocolate ice cream. Bella was exceedingly relieved; she had been afraid that he would avoid her after the other night. It had been _very_ weird, indeed, but here he was again, and he even spoke to her again. In fact, _she_ had been the one to start the conversation. As Bella was normally shy as a mouse, she was very proud of herself.

"Bravo," she congratulated him. "You were excellent."

Edward grinned, relieved that wanted to talk to him again, despite his embarrassing blunder last night. Seriously, he must have sounded like a psycho, rambling about his ex-girlfriend. It surprised him, how easily it was to think of Tanya as an 'ex'. "Thanks. I really love to run." He hesitated, wondering if he would sound stupid. School started in a week, and he was eager to know if she went to his school. "You go to Sunset Valley High, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yep. I'm a junior this year. You?"

He was going to answer that he was a junior, too, when a large, russet-skinned teen with long black hair interrupted rudely. "Are you buying, or chatting?" The girl went red, and Edward remembered that he had planned to ask her name.

Bright scarlet, Bella whispered, "Jacob! We were just talking for a minute!"

She turned quickly back to Edward, as he said, "That's all right. I'm leaving now. Thanks again, for the other day." The last part was unnecessary, but he didn't like that guy. It bothered him, the possessive way he stared at her, and it was clear to him that the guy (the girl had called him Jack, or something) had a thing for the girl. That made his face flush with anger.

"Jake!" Bella shouted furiously. She would have punched him (okay, maybe not) if he hadn't been her employer's son. "What did you do that for?"

"I know that guy," Jake murmured darkly. "He's a prick, Bells. Stay away from him." Bella nearly screamed with anger. She really hated it when Jake tried to control her life. Despite the fact that even though he was much larger, he was several years younger than Bella, and she usually didn't mind taking orders from him. But only when she was working.

"I believe that I can do what I want with my personal life," She reprimanded him frostily. Not interested in continuing the conversation, she turned away from him.

***************

"Bella!" She turned to find herself confronted with a blur of black, spiky, hair, that crashed into her. "I haven't seen you in forever! Can you believe that school starts in just two days?"

Bella grinned down at her best friend, Alice. "I know! It went by so fast. Soon we're going to be trapped in Biology and Social Studies classes again."

Alice groaned. "Don't remind me! But, actually," she said, with a familiar glint in her eye. "Back to school isn't all bad. There's always school shopping." Bella groaned, and looked out the window from the coffee shop where she had decided to meet her friend.

"I should have known this was your plan all along. You are the devil."

Alice giggled, looking flattered. "Aw, shucks. You're making me blush. Wait, listen," she said, her eyes growing excited. "Now there's something else making me blush. And it's called Jasper Hale."

"That's great, Alice!" Bella smiled. "Hale. That sounds familiar."

"Yeah. His twin sister, Rosalie, is dating Emmett. Edward hooked up with Tanya Denali a few weeks ago, but then he came to his senses and dumped her."

Bella grimaced, and then she and Alice in unison said, "Hag," and dissolved in laughter. "Well, what about you?" Alice grinned. "Meet any cute guys?"

Bella blushed, and her friend smiled wider. "Ooh, I sense a juicy tidbit. Who's the lucky guy?"

Face bright red, Bella owned up. "Okay, there's this super hot guy on the track team. I really like him. And he _might_," she emphasized. Alice was known for jumping the gun. "Like me back."

"Oh, what did I tell you?" Alice crowed. "I knew that job would be an excellent way to meet cuties. Now it's even more important for you to go shopping. Edward is on the track team, too. Maybe he can hook you up. You can ask him today, at the pool. I've already cleared it with your parents," she added quickly. "Everyone's going, including the Hale twins. You can finally meet my family!"

Bella sighed. Once Alice got a notion into her head, there was rarely any stopping it. "I don't suppose I have a choice, do I?" Bella moaned.

"No!" Alice cried, triumphantly.

*************************

Bella had to admit; even she looked great in the swimsuit Alice had insisted on getting. It was a soft turquoise one-piece (she was to shy to wear a two-piece, though Alice had wheedled and begged for half an hour.) that fit perfectly. She was no waiting for Alice and Rosalie to finish changing. She had just met Rose, and she seemed a very nice person, not to mention drop-dead-gorgeous.

When they returned, Alice in a lavender bikini, and Rose a hot pink one, the three girls headed to the pool area. Bella looked around, as the two girls called the others over. She nearly fainted when she turned around and saw the green-eyed boy. The boy she'd been crushing on all summer had been Alice's brother.

"And Bella, this is Edward. Edward, Bella."

Barely moving his lips, he forced himself to interrupt his sister with, "We've met." He was shocked. He remembered Alice telling him that Tanya was horrible to Bella. She must hate him for dating her. He forced himself to look up, but Bella was staring at her toes, her face brilliantly red. Alice looked up, and she instantly seemed to comprehend.

Alice hurried through the rest of the introductions, then said, "Bella, come meet my parents." Edward latched onto the subject gratefully, glad that no one had asked how he and Bella met. He grabbed Bella's arm, and said enthusiastically, "Come on. Carlisle and Esme are great."

A few days ago, Bella would have given anything to have this young god leading her…well, anywhere. She would have followed him anywhere. Now, she was not so sure. Alice had assured her that Tanya Denali had been a mistake, but Bella was not so sure.

But it was too late to back out now. Alice was already standing in front of a nice, middle-aged, couple. "This is Carlisle, and Esme, my parents." Bella knew her face was rosy again, but couldn't find a voice to speak with. She glared at Alice; she knew how Bella was meeting new people, and didn't enjoy the thought of making an idiot of herself in front of Edward. And, surprisingly, Edward was the one to save the day.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bella," Edward cut in quickly. Bella was blushing, and staring shyly at the ground. Esme smiled kindly at the shy girl.

"Hello, Bella. Alice has told us a lot about you. I'm very glad to meet you."

Bella gulped, and smiled back. "It's very nice to meet you to."

Alice grinned. "Okay, Bella. You can run away now."

Bella's face flushed again, and Edward gave Alice a dirty look. He escorted her away. As soon as the two teens were out of earshot, both Alice and Esme jumped up and squealed. "Oh, she's so sweet," Esme gushed. She had seen, right from the beginning, what even the two teens had not noticed themselves. She saw the way both of them, her son and the shy, pretty, dark-eyed girl snuck looks at each other whenever they thought the other wasn't looking, and the subtle way their bodies inclined toward each other.

"They're perfect," agreed Alice. "Now, if only they would realize that.

******************

Bella was having the time of her life. She swam, and dived, and watched Edward and the other guys goof off. She chatted with Alice and Rose, and even Esme a little bit. And a good portion of the time, she sat and watched Edward. Several times, she caught him staring back at her.

"Watching Edward?" Alice murmured slyly, taking Bella by surprise.

She glared at her best friend. "Am not," she muttered rebelliously.

Alice sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Give it up, Bella. Everyone can tell that you guys are so totally into each other. He's the guy you were talking about, wasn't he?"

Bella lowered her eyes. "Alice, guys like him don't date girls like me. I just-"

They were interrupted by a loud, snotty laugh. "Damn straight they don't," Said the sneering voice of Tanya Denali. Unnoticed by the friends, she had crept up on the pair, and been eavesdropping. "Edward is mine. He will always be. We just had a little mix-up."

Alice jumped up, fists ready. "Oh, is that what you call it, slut?" She demanded in a low scary voice. "He caught you making out with another guy, and probably one of thousands. You cheated on him, and he dumped your slutty ass."

"Oh, yeah, bitch?" Tanya half-snarled.

As she said this, some long-buried sense of resentment and jealousy and rage as she heard Tanya boldly claim Edward as hers. Her eyes narrowed, Bella stepped forward, so she was nearly nose-to-nose with Tanya. "Back off, you hag." She said. Her shyness had evaporated, leaving the pure hatred of nearly a decade of torment.

Tanya had obviously not been expecting this. In all the time that Tanya had bullied her, Bella had never stood up for her. She had taken it all in silence. But now, she stood proudly, with her head high, not at all afraid of mixing it up with the most popular girl in school. This was when Edward noticed them.

He had been horsing around with Emmett, trying to keep his eyes off Bella. Finally, he turned, and with a sense of dread, saw Tanya and Bella staring hard at each other. He gasped, and swam to the side, pulling himself out with a smooth motion.

Tanya instantly changed to sugary sweetness. "Edward!" She cried, making her voice low and sexy. "I was just telling Alice and her-friend," she said delicately, "All about our fight! It was just horrible, and I am _so _sorry!" Tanya leaped towards him expecting him to catch her. He didn't, and Tanya collided painfully with his chest. Rubbing her shoulder exaggeratedly, Tanya looked at him accusingly.

"I told you, Tanya," Edward said forcibly, "That I don't want to be with you. Please leave me alone, or I'll call the life guard and have you banned from the pool. Come on, Alice, Bella." And he took her hand as they left behind a stunned Tanya.

******************

On the first day of school, Bella felt a cool autumn breeze blow through her thin jacket. Today was the last day the ice cream stand was open. Ever since the Pool Incident, they had met there every evening and just talked. They had become very close friends, but every rustle of the golden-brown leaves made her feel as if with the stand closed, their friendship (and all possibilities beyond that), would end.

When she got to school, she noticed Tanya and her girlfriends whispering and giggling, looking at her pointedly. This no longer intimidated her. She gave a sweet smile and a wave, and Tanya's followers looked dumbstruck. After that, Bella noticed several football players staring at her with interest. During an English lesson, Bella answered a particularly difficult question correctly. The teacher, Mrs. Sear, congratulated her. Bella glowed.

At lunch, she sat with Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, and of course, Edward. They talked about their days, and Bella noted that this was much better than she had thought. As she said this, a girl walked up hesitantly, and introduced herself as Angela Weber. She blushed, and said she was new. She asked if she could sit with them. Bella gave her a warm smile, and said, "Absolutely."

After school, she met Edward in the ice cream stand as usual. She routinely handed him his ice cream, and hopped up to sit on the counter. She stared up at the moon which had just appeared. "Don't you ever order anything besides chocolate?" She asked, smiling.

Edward grinned back, though his heart was pounding, and his palms were sweaty. "Don't you ever order anything besides strawberry?"

"Touché." She laughed, and held up her cone. "Here's to our Strawberry Ice Cream Summer."They pretended to clink glasses as if in a toast.

Edward smiled, and then before he knew what he was saying, he blurted, "Mike Newton wants to ask you out." Why, oh why, had he said that? He watched her nervously. Her face was shocked, then confused. In for a penny, in for a pound, Edward thought, as he said "I don't want him to."

Bella froze, her heart rate skyrocketing. She could hardly dare to look at him. Quietly, he whispered, "Hey, do you want to catch a movie later?"

Bella closed her eyes, and smiled. "I would love to."

**OK, that was longer than I planned. Please review; I put a lot of effort into this. I worked on it all day.**


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